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HAY FESTIVAL 2019 EARLY BIRDS

Event W54

Thursday 1 June 2017, 8.30am
Venue: The Storytelling Nook

Wake up and re-energise with our morning yoga class. Iyengar yoga is characterized by precision, alignment and attention to detail and is an inclusive and accessible yoga practice. Mats are provided; wear comfortable clothing.

16+

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Event 308

The Early Edition: The News Review Revue 2

Thursday 1 June 2017, 10am
Venue: Tata Tent

The comedians read the papers for laughs. A little breakfast-time mockery may be in order as they hunt for the news that makes the biggest splash and the least sense. Not for the easily offended or the politically confident. #factcheck #funcheck

Event 309

Welsh Legends…Or Are They Myths?

Thursday 1 June 2017, 10am
Venue: Baillie Gifford Stage

The panel questions three of the big legends in Wales. They start with the image of medieval Wales as a nation conquered by England and then briefly set free by Owain Glyndwr. Stevens argues that the Welsh were a people rather than a single nation and that Glyndwr was no national redeemer. The second legend is modern Wales as a land made by coal. Miskell looks at how Welsh industry was far more diverse than this in the late 19th century. The third legend is the idea of Wales as a victim of Conservative oppression. Blaxland shows how the Tories have always enjoyed a strong base of Welsh support and argues that they were key architects of the devolved Welsh state.

In association with Cambridge University

Event 311

The Ankerwyke Tree and the Ancient Trees that Shaped our History

Thursday 1 June 2017, 10am
Venue: Llwyfan Cymru – Wales Stage

The tree experts introduce the ancient yew at Runnymede, which may have been 1,700 years old when King John signed the Magna Carta under its branches in 1215; the existing Isaac Newton apple tree and other wonderful ancient trees from around England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Power is head gardener at Stourhead. Muelaner is co-author of Ancient Trees of the National Trust.

Do you have a tree you need identifying? Bring us a leaf or a photo and we’ll ask our experts Brian and Alan and The Woodland Trust’s tree guru Jill Butler. They’ll be at the Woodland Trust stall onsite during the day.

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In partnership with the National Trust

Event 312

Thursday 1 June 2017, 10am
Venue: BBC Tent

A masterclass on how to get started in the media, featuring a discussion with researchers and producers from radio, television and online. Clemency Burton-Hill is joined by talent manager at BBC Studios, Caroline Carter, freelance story producer Dudley Cruse, digital content producer, Molly Tresadern and Broadcast Journalist Nicola Goodwin from BBC Hereford and Worcester.

FREE BUT TICKETED

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Event 313

Knife: The Cult, Craft and Culture of the Cook’s Knife

Thursday 1 June 2017, 10am
Venue: Cube

Through interviews with knife-makers, chefs and collectors, acclaimed food writer Tim Hayward explores how the relationship between cook and blade has shaped both the knife itself and the ways we prepare and eat food all over the world. From Damascus blades to Chinese cleavers and sushi knives, at the heart of this book is a fascinating guide to 40 different types of knife, each with its own story, detailed description and stunning photographs. He talks to the presenter/producer of BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme and is joined by former chef Joel Black who, after being a chef for 16 years, retrained as a blacksmith to follow his dream of hand making kitchen knives.

Event HD67

Mr Gum

Thursday 1 June 2017, 10am
Venue: Oxfam Moot

Winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and twice winner of the Blue Peter Book Award, Andy Stanton’s Mr Gum is a complete horror. He hates children, animals and fun, not to mention corn on the cob. This book is about him, an angry fairy who lives in his bathtub, Jake the dog and a little girl called Polly. Plus, there are heroes and sweets and adventures. Join to celebrate the 10th anniversary of You’re a Bad Man, Mr Gum!

6+

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Event HD68

The Story of Space: a first book about our universe

Thursday 1 June 2017, 10am
Venue: Starlight Stage

From the birth of the first stars to life on Earth, listeners will discover the story of our universe. Pulling on planet T-shirts and helping to create a timeline on stage, listeners will join the author and the science teacher in a fascinating journey from the beginning of time.

6+

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Event W56

Thursday 1 June 2017, 10am
Venue: Mess Tent

Are you a budding chef or curious in the kitchen? Learn how to cook interesting food from all over the world with the Kitchen Academy using recipes from a different culture every day. You don’t need to bring anything other than your tastebuds and your appetite...you are cooking lunch!

Age 4-7

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Event W55

Thursday 1 June 2017, 10am - 3pm
Venue: Scribblers Hut

Jim Eliot and Mima Stilwell have written and produced records with some of today’s biggest pop stars, including Ellie Goulding , Kylie Minogue and Will Young. They started out by writing music in a band and touring festivals and venues in the UK then a lucky break took them into the pop writing world. Since then they have honed their pop-writing craft to produce No 1 chart singles, hits and soundtracks. Come and work with them to combine classic songwriting with cutting-edge production skills giving you insight into the art of writing commercial hits. Bring a packed lunch.

Age16+

5 hours

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Event S7

Thursday 1 June 2017, 10am
Venue: The Storytelling Nook

Come along to our immersive lantern-lit tented Storytelling Nook to listen to Veronica Lamond’s illustrated stories of Landy and Fender the lovable Land Rovers, and Kenyan author Aunty Kiko’s tale “Baby Elephant’s Safari, and experience how solar light is making a difference to millions of families in Africa.

Family event

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Event 314

Ladybird Experts: The Battle of Britain

Thursday 1 June 2017, 11.30am
Venue: Starlight Stage

The war historian explains the different challenges faced by the RAF and the Luftwaffe in 1940, the technologies of the planes and, above all, the skill, bravery and endurance of the airmen engaged in a contest that was of critical importance to the outcome of the Second World War.

Suitable for young readers 8+ and historians

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Sponsored by Swansea University

Event 315

Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain

Thursday 1 June 2017, 11.30am
Venue: Tata Tent

Thomas Telford invented the modern road. A stonemason turned architect turned engineer, he built churches, harbours, canals, docks, the famously vertiginous Pontcysyllte aqueduct and the exquisite Menai Bridge in Wales. He created the backbone of our national road network. His constructions were the most stupendous in Europe for a thousand years, and astonishingly, almost everything he ever built remains in use today.

Event 316

Cambridge Series: How Gender Stereotypes Damage Innovation

Thursday 1 June 2017, 11.30am
Venue: Oxfam Moot

Children as young as six have already developed ideas about what boys and girls can ‘do’. As they progress through school further, cultural messages fix attitudes and are one part of why we have so few women engineers or male vets. Innovation, which thrives on diverse perspectives, is handicapped by the effects of such stereotyping. Our society needs to do better. Athene Donald is Professor of Experimental Physics and Master of Churchill College.

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In association with Cambridge University

Event 317

Outside the Asylum: A Memoir of War, Disaster and Humanitarian Psychiatry

Thursday 1 June 2017, 11.30am
Venue: Llwyfan Cymru – Wales Stage

An astonishing insight into the life of a humanitarian psychiatrist working in war and disaster zones around the world from Bosnia and ‘mission-accomplished’ Iraq, to tsunami-affected Aceh, post-earthquake Haiti and ‘the Jungle’ in Calais. Chaired by Oliver Balch.

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Event 318

The River Wye as a psychological and physical barrier

Thursday 1 June 2017, 11.30am
Venue: Baillie Gifford Stage

The Wye’s natural beauty has long been part of the river’s heritage, but many aspects of its history have been forgotten. Having both a Welsh and an English heritage, the Wye has a special unifying role in British culture, as well as exhibiting some of the classic features of a border. The river has been a psychological barrier separating cultures by language, religion and politics, and a physical barrier separating hostile rivals. By tradition the Wye was the last refuge of Vortigern and of Owain Glyndwr. In the 18th century, timber that was floated down the river from the Golden Valley built the British fleet that took on the French at Trafalgar.

Event 319

Greening the Box

Thursday 1 June 2017, 11.30am
Venue: Cube

An all-star group of entertainment and sustainability industry pioneers come together to debate the role content plays in focusing world attention on global warming. Writer James Cary’s comedy hits include Bluestone 42 and Miranda; Rebecca Welsh is a producer of Strictly Come Dancing and Come Dine With Me. Juliet Davenport is CEO of Good Energy and Catherine Davies is the Development Director at Shire Oak Films.

Event HD69

Rebel Science

Thursday 1 June 2017, 11.30am
Venue: Good Energy Stage

Do you think scientists are boring boffins who don’t leave the lab? Think again! The brainiacs of history spent hundreds of years breaking the rules, blowing things up and performing dangerous experiments. Come and celebrate 400 years of rebel antics. Expect plenty of silly wigs and terrible jokes. Dress up as a scientist and be in with a chance of winning a signed copy of Dan Green’s Rebel Science, shortlisted for the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize 2016, which celebrates the best books that communicate science to young people.

9+

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Event S8

Thursday 1 June 2017, 11.30am
Venue: The Storytelling Nook

Have you ever wanted to control the weather like the Greek god Zeus or turn someone to stone like the snake-headed monster Medusa? Take part in your own Greek Myth with Readathon storyteller Wilf Merttens and make your own mask to become a powerful god, goddess, or a fantastical monster, in one of the earliest and most enduring tales ever told. Dressing-up optional. Merttens has won many awards including Young Storyteller of the Year. As well as entertaining children in hospital with Readathon, he tells tall tales at folk clubs and festivals across the UK.

Age 4+

Free but ticketed

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Event W57

Thursday 1 June 2017, 11.30am
Venue: Mess Tent

Are you a budding chef or curious in the kitchen? Learn how to cook interesting food from all over the world with the Kitchen Academy using recipes from a different culture every day. You don’t need to bring anything other than your tastebuds and your appetite...you are cooking lunch!

Event DT25

Early Lunch

Thursday 1 June 2017, 12pm
Venue: Relish Festival Restaurant

Book a seat in the Relish Festival Restaurant and receive a complimentary drink on us.

Enjoy a delicious meal from our Festival Restaurant buffet. Choose from a wide selection of hot and cold dishes created fresh onsite by our team of chefs using the best local seasonal produce.

Come up to the buffet and choose as much as you like from all the dishes on offer for just £20 per person. By booking online you will receive a complimentary glass of wine, bottle of beer or soft drink. You will also be able to reserve a seat in the restaurant where our team will be waiting to give you a warm welcome.

Award-winning Alex Gooch breads and water are free for every customer.

A selection of desserts and local cheeses from Neal's Yard Creamery is also available, plus a full bar and barista coffees.

Event 320

Our Man in the Middle East

Thursday 1 June 2017, 1pm
Venue: Tata Tent

The BBC’s Middle East Editor returns home to bring the news from Mosul, Gaza and Jerusalem. His 25-part series for Radio 4 about the region’s history starts on 15 May. He combines first-hand accounts from the front line with analysis of the politics, economics and societies he’s reported on since he first arrived in the Gulf in 1990. Chaired by Peter Florence.

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Event 321

Sustainability in an Age of Brexit and Trump

Thursday 1 June 2017, 1pm
Venue: Good Energy Stage

How does the green movement best respond to the collapse of the liberal consensus and the defunding of the American EPA? Is it a useful slap in the face to a movement that may have become a little too comfortably ensconced in the mainstream? Veteran environmentalist Jonathan Porritt joins Claire Fox from the Institute of Ideas and sustainability expert Ed Gillespie to talk with Forum for the Future’s Martin Wright.

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Event 322

Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obssession

Thursday 1 June 2017, 1pm
Venue: Baillie Gifford Stage

The second novel in the popular historian’s Six Tudor Queens series mines the story of Anne Boleyn, the young woman who changed the course of history. Fresh from the palaces of Burgundy and France, Anne draws attention at the English court, embracing the play of courtly love. But when the King commands, nothing is ever a game.